Mount Mansfield, Vermont, from My Hotel Bedroom (Dec. 2017)

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Postscript: July 13, 2017
It turns out that Anna Pasternak is the grand-daughter of Josephine, Boris Pasternak's youngest sister. I discovered this after listening to the first chapter of the book. The Wikipedia article was misleading in this regard. Yes, Lydia is the name of Anna Pasternak's mother, but she married into the Pasternak family. Sorry for the error!
Original Post:
I have decided that I won't re-read Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak this summer. It was on my mind, but I feel swamped by books. For one thing, I can't get over how many new books about Russia there are to read for the first time, let alone a second time.

I have started listening to an audiobook entitled Lara: The Untold Love Story and The Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago by Anna Pasternak. Boris Pasternak was Anna Pasternak's uncle, and Anna is the daughter of Boris's youngest sister, Lydia. Anna is an academic in the UK and published the book in 2016 or 2017. According to Anna, Lara was badmouthed by all the Pasternaks, which, according to Anna, was completely unwarranted.

4 comments:

I love these literary journeys us bookish people go on. For you it's Russia... me, France. I can't get enough of all kinds of books about the country and am having to force myself to digress occasionally. LOL Have lots of fun!

Hi Cath,I am having fun with it, but I feel like a rather confused traveler at times, because there are so many books about Russia--contemporary nonfiction and fiction, and then historical nonfiction and fiction. Dizzying. I do find that when I read them, I go deep into another world and culture--that is informed by a lifetime of reading Russian literature and history. So interesting to have 44 years of literary interest in this country I'm sure I'll never visit. Don't try too, too hard to force yourself from your French and France fascination right now. Go with the flow, Cath!!And lots of summer reading fun to you, too!

I just read it for the first time last year, but I didn't enjoy it tremendously. Perhaps it was partly the combination (I read it right after some contemporary novels) and I would feel differently another time. It's been awhile since I've seen the movie, too, but I used to love it!

I've only read two chapters so far, and I've found them very interesting, given what I know about Russian and Soviet history. I've always been fascinated by Pasternak, so this tale adds dimension. I own the DVD of the movie. It is my favorite of all-time, along with Downton Abbey. I've watched it probably 9 times so far. Every few years we take it out. I think it is a brilliant film. I think you'd find it so to watch it in the 21st century.

About Me

I live in a beautiful mountainous wilderness region of northern New York. This environment perfectly suits all my outdoor interests: bushwhacking, hiking, alpine and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and the study of nature.
Since moving to the Adirondacks in 2005 from the Boston area, I still find plenty of time for reading, but far less time for writing and painting, though I still enjoy these activities.
Although I am a former educator, I am now a professional genealogist, specializing in New York and New England ancestries, from the 1600s through the twentieth century.